William Downs BUCHANAN Age 90, died peacefully on March 21, 2007, at his home in Kirkland, Washington. His kindness, strength, and love will be deeply missed. Bill Buchanan was born April 4, 1916, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the youngest child of James Madison Buchanan and Lillian McBride Buchanan. In Philadelphia he began lifelong interests in guitar music, motorcycles, and airplanes. He had a full and interesting life. He served his country as a pilot in WWII earning the distinguished flying cross and other honors. After the war he earned an engineering degree and membership in Tau Beta Pi and Kappa Mu Epsilon. He was employed as an engineer, owned and operated orange groves in California; and owned and farmed 480 acres in Mississippi. Guitars and guitar music continued to enthrall him throughout his life in his later years he began making as well as playing guitars and shared his love of guitar music with many others. Bill Buchanan will be missed by his loving family and friends, for whom his memory serves as an unimpeachable example of a life well lived. He is survived by Nancy Backstrom Buchanan, his wife of 61 years; his daughter and son-in-law, Nancy and Mike Durbin; his daughter, Lillian Buchanan; his grandchildren, Erik Durbin, Brent Durbin, Joseph Clary and Annie Clary, and by a large and loving extended family and many friends. A Memorial Service will be held at the Lake Washington United Methodist Church, 7525 132nd Avenue NE in Kirkland, WA at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, March 25. On June 4th, he will be interred with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia. Donations can be made to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, the Lake Washington United Methodist Church, and the Covenant Presbyterian Church, 515 N Lehmberg Rd, Columbus, Mississippi. Published in print on 3/24/2007. Seattle Times